Oh, you know it! I still want to be invited but I'm not coming! I'm staying home with my kitters, and my needle and thread, and my Monty Don shows and my nightgown and my Stella light and maybe the teensy-tiniest bit of guilt/regret, but I'll get over it! I can't help it. I'm an INTJ! And no matter how many times I take the personality test it never changes, for better or worse. Knit knit knit. Stitch stitch stitch. Make another cup of teeeeeea.
This piece is stitched on 32-count linen (that's 16 stitches per inch) with two-plies of DMC six-ply cotton embroidery floss. Please note: Most of this piece is stitched "2 over 2," or 2 plies of floss over 2 threads of fabric. But the text is stitched "1 over 1," or 1 ply of floss over 1 thread of fabric. That's tiny! But you can do it.
Finished size of design area: 6.25"w x 5.2"h (16cm x 13cm); 100 stitches wide x 83 high on 32-count fabric
- One 9" x 10" (23cm x 25cm) piece of 32-count evenweave linen from Wichelt in Mediterranean Sea
- (29) 24" (61cm) lengths of various colors of DMC 6-ply cotton embroidery floss
- Stitching instructions
- Color cross-stitch chart with symbols
- One piece of chipboard for creating a floss organizer
You will need:
- #24 tapestry needle(s) for cross stitch
- Embroidery scissors
- 4" (10cm) embroidery hoop
- Frame and framing supplies
To learn how to do counted cross stitch, please click here.
For help with framing your finished piece yourself, please click here.
Here we finally have A Tender Year: June.
This design was stitched on Kona cotton (this time in colorway Dusty Peach) and wrapped around an inexpensive 5" x 7" (13cm x 18cm) stretched canvas. (If you'd like a tutorial on wrapping canvas with embroidery, please see this page.) It uses DMC floss. The pattern includes illustrations for all the stitches included, so if you are a beginner you should have no trouble. If you'd like to stitch along with the entire series, here are the January, February, March, April, and May patterns.
We still have many kits left for some of my summer designs from previous years. This one is Strawberry Summer, also stitched on 32-count linen to fit in an 8" x 10" frame. It is also available as a downloadable PDF pattern.
Here is Summer Wreath. It is available as a kit, with everything you need included, or a downloadable PDF pattern. This is part of an entire series, so if you are interested in stitching all four seasons, please see Spring, Autumn, and Winter Wreath kits. All PDFs for them are available here.
Here is Things of Summer! It's probably one of my very favorite designs I've ever made. We have kits available, and also the PDF pattern. (Things of Autumn and Things of Winter kits are still available; unfortunately, the fabric for Things of Spring has been discontinued so that kit has sold out and will not be back in stock. PDF patterns are available for all.)
There are a few sweet Summer Storm kits left. I feel like I have more of these in overstock but I will need to find them. It is also available as a PDF.
This is the Midsummer Sprigs design. I cannot find where I ever did post about this, but I know I did! We never made this into a kit, but it has been available as a PDF pattern for many years. It is stitched with hand-dyed Weeks Dye Works floss, but DMC conversions are given in the pattern. I love this design. I have it hanging in my upstairs hallway. It's done on 28-count black linen fabric. If you think you might have trouble stitching on black, try stitching with a white dishtowel on your lap. It will really make the holes in the fabric pop, and you'll be able to "see your stitches" much more easily.
I know I said that I would do a Scarborough Faire skirt sew-a-long! I think I'm going to have my hands too full this summer to organize that but I am going to make some of my vintage calicos available for sale. This skirt is just cool because there are no actual pattern pieces: Instead, you will take your measurements, plug them into my formula, and cut a bunch of rectangles based on that formula. The pattern walks you through the whole thing, with illustrations for every step. The pockets will fit your phone, keys, and wallet. I have four or five of these skirts now and I wear them constantly. Make it is short or long as you want.
Have you stitched the Daisychain ABCs Sampler?
If you have been wanting to, I have four crewel-wool packs for this pattern available in my shop right now. We found them when we were doing some spring cleaning and I've just listed them. You can also do this design in DMC floss, but it looks so cool in wool, I think.
I have a few Summer Day lotion bars right now. We will try to restock all of the scents in the fall, when we have more time.
Last but not least, if you want to stitch a pretty Queen Anne's lace flower on something, I have a free pattern for that:
I hope you find one of these projects to your liking. I love stitching in the summertime when the light seems to last forever and there's more time to linger with needle and thread. Please let me know if you have any questions about these patterns and kits, and thank you, as ever, for your interest in and support of my work. I appreciate it beyond words! XOXO
I do love the Scarborough pattern! I think I may just have to make one it's so pretty. I love the sentiment on your cross stitch and I can relate :) Wishing you a lovely day!
I absolutely loooove the rsvp cross stitch quote. Totally the way I feel ☺️. Yep - introvert here.
There are so many lovely things in all those cross stitch designs. My head and eyes can't cope with x stitch anymore but I do love looking at them all. There are so many cute things on the new summer designs. Boats, strawberries, roses, a little house and a kitty. Lovely. I love your things of summer too and summer storms. All of them!
I can still do freestyle embroidery though and I love your new design,so pretty and perfect on the lovely peachy fabric - what a nice colour.Strawberry plants are the prettiest things, I recently got a small print to hang up as I love them so much. I never thought of embroidering them, though.
The Scarborough skirt is beautiful - very on trend too, with the bow. Not that I know much about that, but I've definitely seen lots of front tying bows around.All your hard work over a long time now has given you many things to be proud of and you are still doing new things too. Long may it continue!
Wow. So many memories. I have so many of these displayed throughout my house and I love them all. I can hardly pick a favorite.
Oh Alicia, Everything that you design and make are beautiful !!! I have loved it all for years ! You make the world a better place !!! 🧵🪡❤️😘
I love the new designs, Alicia! The color combinations are fantastic! I was waited for your new cross stitch pattern so much and it’s beautiful. The long lists of your designs made me realize that this would be the first pattern in many years that I won’t get. All others are in my collection and make my home cozy and warm. I’m so distressed by the situation we have, war and politics, people suffer and I can’t change a thing.. And now all our accounts are blocked so I can not even buy anything from you. This is sad, because I love you’re blog so much, I followed you even before Amelia and I did all I could to support your crafts. I’ve many wonderful hours sewing or cross-stitching your patterns, they always made the sweetest presents for the loved ones. So, I hope someday everything will be over and I would be able to support you not only with my comments. .
So I am slightly different because I'm an INFJ but yes this still totally resonates with me😂. Gosh I have so many stitching projects and there you go adding more😉 I might never leave the sofa again!
All your projects are just lovely, Alicia; I love seeing your work.
I'm willing to bet no one has ever asked for their autographs before. They will never forget it or her. It's been amazing watching her grow. Seems like yesterday she was just a baby with the loveliest cheeks and smile. Well done!
I love all the the beautiful art projects you have! You are so incredibly talented. I love the new cross stitches. I have a few projects that I have not had time to finish it. Hope to start again when Winter comes. We will be living right at the border with Canada so Winters will be long there with more to time for needle work hopefully.